Malphite FAQ

He is a top-tier engage tank because Mayhem's accelerated gold gain lets him hit his tanky item spikes much earlier than in Summoner's Rift. You get to spam Unstoppable Force more often, turning him into a constant teamfight threat. The tradeoff is that poke and kite comps can absolutely ruin your game if you fall behind early.

Max Ground Slam (E) first for the attack speed reduction and waveclear, then follow up with Seismic Shard (Q) for poke and chase potential. This order makes you harder to kill in extended fights because the attack speed slow neuts enemy auto-attackers. Only prioritize Q first if your team desperately needs long-range poke to soften targets before you engage.

Look for clusters of enemies rather than trying to hit a single priority target, since hitting three or four people usually wins the teamfight on the spot. You can also use it defensively to knock enemies off your carry if they get dived. Do not waste it just to catch one person out of position unless your team is ready to collapse immediately.

Pick him into heavy attack damage comps or when your team lacks a reliable engage button. He struggles into heavy magic damage or disengage teams that can cancel your follow-up damage. If the enemy has four auto-attackers, Malphite becomes an almost unbeatable wall.

Sunfire Aegis is your best first item for damage and tankiness, helping you clear waves and hurt anyone who stands near you. Follow it with Thornmail if they have healers or auto-attackers, or Frozen Heart for pure armor and cooldown reduction. Avoid building pure health without resistances, since your passive shield scales better with armor.

Granite Shield gives you a damage-absorbing barrier that refreshes after you take no damage for a short time. In Mayhem's constant fighting, you rarely get the full refresh, so treat it as extra burst mitigation rather than a permanent buffer. Engage right before a big fight starts so the shield absorbs the initial burst of damage.

Full AP is a fun burst build that deletes squishies with a single combo, but you become useless if your ultimate is on cooldown. It works best when your team already has a frontline and you want to act as a one-shot assassin. Stick to tank if your team needs someone to soak damage and start fights.

Use Seismic Shard to last hit minions from a distance and farm up gold without taking free damage. Wait for them to waste their key cooldowns before you commit to an all-in engage. If you dive into a full-health poke comp with all abilities ready, you will likely die before you reach them.

Pick augments that boost durability, ability haste, or engage range to make your ultimate available more often. Damage augments help your early game, but tank-focused options scale better for your role as the team's initiator. Anything that helps you close the gap or survive the initial burst is worth grabbing.

Build magic resistance items like Force of Nature or Kaenic Rookern early instead of stacking armor. Your Ground Slam will be less effective since it scales with armor, so focus on being a disruption tool rather than a damage dealer. Look for picks on their squishy backline instead of trying to tank their entire burst.

Cast it on the enemy frontline before you engage to steal their movement speed and close the gap faster. The slow helps you land a point-blank Ground Slam or set up a clean ultimate. Save it for escaping if you get caught out, since the speed steal works just as well for running away.

Holding Unstoppable Force for the "perfect" five-man knockup often means you never use it at all. A good two or three-man ultimate is almost always better than waiting twenty seconds for a dream scenario. Fear of wasting your ultimate leads to passive play, which is the worst way to play Malphite in Mayhem.

Save it for after you land your ultimate so enemies stay in the attack speed debuff longer. You can also use it to clear minion waves quickly and prevent the enemy from pushing your tower. The damage is low without armor items, so focus on the utility rather than expecting it to kill anyone.

Yes, his Ground Slam and Seismic Shard are excellent tools for slowing down divers who jump on your backline. You do not always have to engage; sometimes the best play is standing next to your carry and peeling assassins. Use your ultimate defensively if their divers commit hard to your damage dealers.